Deirdre’s fascination with shoes began in her youth. She loved shoes so much that she wore them to bed at night and dreamed of new styles in her sleep. When she was 23 years old, she made a list of all the things she’d like to accomplish in her life. Shoemaking topped that list. In her 60th year, her husband suffered a health scare. As a result of that event, Deirdre had a visceral realization — she said to herself, “So when you really get that you don’t have forever, it’s time to do whatever it is you gotta do.” She found a teacher in Portland, signed up for a workshop, and then took that learning to the next level with her unique creations. She has been working out of a converted garage/workshop for the last eight years.

Custom-made, hand-made shoes are extremely labor-intensive to construct and involve painstaking precision and attention to detail. She says that each pair takes 30-40 hours to complete, depending on size, style, and height.

Deirdre’s shoes are made using a mold of the wearer’s foot, as opposed to a “last,” which is an idealized generic form used in modern footwear production. In the non-lasted shoemaking style, a 3D cast is cut into sections, used for making a pattern onto paper, which is then transferred to leather. The leather is cut and sewn mostly by hand. The sole, vamp, lace flap, and other parts are marked with tiny perforations to allow them to fit together like the pieces of a puzzle.  Deirdre sources her leather from Hide House in Napa and works primarily with cow, bison, and buffalo hide. The final product, which takes 30-40 hours to produce, depending on size, style, and height, has to be comfortable and a perfect fit.

The main archetypes for her shoes include the granny boot, a menswear-inspired derby, and the color-blocked flat lace-up shoe. Details in the use of toecaps, pointy and square-shaped toes, and color blocking differentiate the various styles. Each one has a distinct personality. Deirdre has one particular pair, which she calls The Favorite. (Show Picture). This lace-up low boot is slightly distressed, giving it a handsome, worn look, and has a classic appearance that places it in another era. If these shoes could talk, they might say, “I choose brains over beauty any day, but it’s nice to have both.” And then there’s the two-toned flat: a youthful-looking androgynous boot, boyishly beautiful and also refined.

Deirdre’s design concept and aesthetic come from her upbringing in New York City’s Upper West Side. Growing up in a home in which museum pieces hung on walls and antiques furnished the halls and chambers, Deirdre was surrounded by art and artifacts from her mother’s travels. Marjorie Steel (Deirdre’s mother) was a sophisticated and worldly gentlewoman who wore pencil skirts, heels, and furs and frequented exclusive boutiques and department stores where models and actresses visited and donated their worn clothing.  Marlene Dietrich was said to have spotted Marjorie in one such shop, studied her ensemble, and imitated her original look.

Deirdre’s sensibilities are both a reflection and a rejection of her mother’s influence. She admired her mother’s grace and offbeat character, but she did not embrace her mother’s standards for feminine expression. Feeling that she did not belong in that world of high fashion and glamor, Deirdre preferred to wear layered baggy jeans and flats. “I was always an outsider. I never fit in,” she says.  For Deirdre, “shoes symbolize Under Standing,” a play on words that she explains this way: “I think so many people, especially women, form some of their image identity with what their shoes look like and what the shoes say about them.”

We all want to be understood when we step out into the world in whatever we choose to wear on our feet. Deirdre’s shoes are statement pieces and also open to interpretation. To find out how you can have a pair custom-made to fit your feet and your soul, you can visit her website.